Re: Indians and Pakistanis
queer stop flirting with me. i am now seeing you calling me a smouldering hot bunny in a v. different light.
Identity is important. And the reality of it is that much of Pakistani identity is forged in opposition to what the Indian identity is, i.e. an opposition to the idea of the bhai-bhai notion. Now desies used to living abroad cannot appreciate that pov missing historical context, and indians may have as much of a reason to push the bhai-bhai idea as Pakistanies have to reject it... but the absence of this in their discussions does provoke, because it arbitrarily shifts the world into the indian playing field in a manner of speaking.
as for my arch nationalism, the serious bit of it is deliberate and self-conscious, the remaining self-satirization in the vein of stephen colbert. when I say things like "we shouldnt watch indian movies because it humanizes the enemy" there is an element of satire there that is understood by those in the know. I dont like saying that because it defeats the point.
BBC: ever heard of cry wolf?